Angels Pitcher Has Emergency Surgery

A scary scene for Matt Shoemaker in Seattle on Sunday afternoon turned into an even scarier one later that night.

Shoemaker was hit in the head by a Kyle Seager line drive and was diagnosed with a small skull fracture and hematoma. That’s obviously a very serious injury and Angels general manager Billy Eppler said Monday that further scans showed the bleeding to be increasing, requiring Shoemaker to undergo emergency surgery.

From the Associated Press:

“The CT scan confirmed or when they actually did the operation that confirmed where the bleeding was,” Eppler said. “They were able to access that area. They were able to seal it, stop the bleeding. He was wheeled back up into recovery and is recovering fine.”

Shoemaker will remain in Seattle until he’s healthy enough to return to Southern California. The good news, though, is that he should be able to go home later this week where he will continue his recovery.

Until there is a better way to protect pitchers on the mound, injuries like the ones Shoemaker sustained will continue to be a possibility. This case shows just how severe those injuries can be. Fortunately Shoemaker appears to be doing OK and that’s all anyone can ask for in this kind of situation.